?August 30th, 1998.
1998 年 8 月 30 日。
The date stamped on the passport I used to first enter China.
這是我第一次來到中國時護(hù)照上蓋的日期。
My intention was to spend a year in a foreign land. See the world a little. Get to know myself before taking the next step into adulthood. That was twenty-four years ago, and I’m still playfully treading that imaginary line today!
我想在異國他鄉(xiāng)生活一年，見識一下這個世界，邁向成年之前認(rèn)識自己。那是 24 年前的事了，而我如今仍然在拼命地探尋，探尋那條命運(yùn)之線！
When I set out for China, 24 years ago, I never expected to fall as deeply in love with this land and its people as I did. Seeped in thousands of years of mystical history, culture, philosophy, and tradition that, to this day, still nudges me toward exploring, searching, and losing myself in a glorious fusion of self-discovery!
24 年前，我動身前往中國，當(dāng)時的我從未想到會像現(xiàn)在這樣深深地愛上這片土地和它的人民。我沉浸在幾千年的神秘歷史、文化、哲學(xué)和傳統(tǒng)中，無法自拔，今天仍然促使我去探尋，發(fā)現(xiàn)自我的道路上充滿著輝煌，漸漸迷失自我！
Throughout these years, I (legally, if not emotionally) became an adult. I married my wonderful, Henan-ese husband (we celebrated our 20th?wedding anniversary a few months ago), I gave birth to two incredible children, Eiriana, 17 and Liam, 11. I’ve lived in 4 cities: Nanjing; Guangzhou, Beijing, and beautiful Xiamen. I’ve explored the many corners of this wonderful land and met many beautiful people along the way.?
經(jīng)過這些年的成長，不管在法律上，還是在情感上，我已然成年。我的丈夫是一位杰出的河南人，幾個月前我們慶祝了結(jié)婚 20?周年紀(jì)念日。我們共同養(yǎng)育了兩個優(yōu)秀的孩子，17 歲的 Eiriana和 11 歲的 Liam。我曾在四座城市生活過：南京、廣州、北京和美麗的廈門。我已經(jīng)探索了這片偉大土地的許多角落，途中遇到了許多美麗善良的人。
In my formative years in China, I backpacked around the country on the most minimalist of budgets. With no Chinese and no cellphone (or any other device to help with translation), I quickly learnt how to communicate my needs! Travelling across the country on 48 hour 綠皮 sleeper trains, sharing Yangtze river boat cabins for four with 16 other people, all eager to get home for the Spring Festival, staying in 10RMB-a-night hostels and hitch-hiking from DaZhu to Chengdu after missing the last bus of the day—I smile fondly at the memories made in those early years and how they have contributed to making me the person I am today!
在我在中國成長的歲月里，我背上行囊，以最低的預(yù)算，去全國各地旅游，了解這個國度。我不會中文，也沒有手機(jī)或任何翻譯設(shè)備，但我很快就學(xué)會了如何溝通，表達(dá)我的需要！搭乘綠皮臥鋪火車，48 小時穿越中國；與 16 人合租長江游船，他們都急著回家過年；住 10?元一晚的旅館；錯過當(dāng)天的最后一班公交，不得不搭便車從大竹回到成都……我向這些早年的記憶報以深情的微笑，這些回憶成就了今天的自己。
One memory that has stayed with me is that of a trip I made to an adult learner’s home on the January 1st, New Year, holiday of 1999. At the time I was working at a university in Nanjing, supporting PhD students with their English comprehension and dissertation publications. All of my students were older than me and most of them were married with families. One student invited me to visit his hometown in Anhui province. We took a 6-hour bus-ride from Nanjing to our destination town (the name of which I do not recall). From there, another hour was spent on the back of a tractor that bumped through the countryside until we reached the village home. We arrived dusty and tired, and my student asked if I would like to take a bath to freshen up.
有一段記憶恍如昨日。那是 1999 年 1 月 1 日元旦假期，我去了一位成年學(xué)者家里。當(dāng)時我在南京的一所大學(xué)工作，幫助博士生提高英語理解能力，指導(dǎo)他們發(fā)表論文。我的學(xué)生年齡都比我大，大多都結(jié)婚成家了。一個學(xué)生邀請我拜訪他的家鄉(xiāng)安徽。我們從南京坐了 6 個小時的公交才到達(dá)目的地，那個小鎮(zhèn)的名字我記不清了。從小鎮(zhèn)出發(fā)，又花了一個小時坐拖拉機(jī)，鄉(xiāng)路顛簸，才到達(dá)村里的家。我們下車時滿身塵土，疲憊不堪，學(xué)生問我要不要洗個澡放松一下
。In my, still-quite-new-to-the-country mind, a bath to freshen up before dinner sounded perfect. And a moment later, I found myself being led by the grandmother of the house to another building in the courtyard. We entered the building, passing the cows, and there, in the corner of this room sat a large ‘bath’ made of bricks, with a fire burning underneath. The grandma led me to the ‘bath’ and said something in Chinese. In my China newness, I had no idea what she said, but from her gestures, I assumed that I was to get into the bath. Now, you have to understand the life that I had lived up to this moment! In the UK, it’s not common to take our clothes off or bathe in front of others—even with members of the same sex. So, I sheepishly removed my shoes and socks, pulled up my trouser legs and thought, ‘OK, I’ll just wash my feet!’ I dipped my toes in, but immediately recoiled! WOW!!!!!! That water was HOT!!!! In my minimal Chinese I gasped that the water was “熱” – hot. To which grandma replied “燙”. Also hot, but referring to the temperature of liquid.
剛到鄉(xiāng)下的我，吃飯前洗個熱水澡，簡直美滋滋。過了一會兒，一位老奶奶領(lǐng)我到院子里的另一棟樓。我們進(jìn)入那棟樓，穿過牛群，角落里有一個用磚頭砌成的大“浴池”，下面燒著火。奶奶把我領(lǐng)到“浴池”前，說了幾句中文，但我不懂是什么意思。從她的手勢來看，應(yīng)該是讓我進(jìn)浴池。我之前從未經(jīng)歷這樣的時刻！在英國，當(dāng)著別人的面脫衣服洗澡非常奇怪——即使是在同性面前。我怯生生地脫掉了鞋襪，拉起褲腿，心想：“算了，我就洗洗腳！”腳指頭碰到水的那一刻，馬上縮了回來！哇?。。。。?！水好熱?。。?！我用最簡單的中文喘著粗氣說那水是“熱”的。老奶奶說是“燙”，也是熱的意思，指的是液體的溫度。
And here is where my mind started to spiral. You see, the only ‘tang’ I knew up to that point was the kind that you drink with your meal “湯”—soup. You know where this is going don’t you?
我開始變得恍惚。之前，我知道“湯”是吃飯時配的那種東西。你知道我的歸宿吧？
I was being cooked!?
我被煮了！
Grandma was a witch, and I was to be made into a big pot of soup! (Trauma from “Hansel and Gretel” much?)
奶奶是個女巫，要把我做成一鍋湯！簡直跟“漢塞爾與格蕾特”兄妹的遭遇一模一樣！
So, I resisted, I started to put my shoes and socks back on. This Welsh girl was not being made into soup! No Sir-ee! Not today!
我開始反抗，穿回我的鞋襪。威爾士女孩不會被做成湯的！絕對不會！今天絕對不會！
Grandma started to get louder, she seemed to be getting a little frustrated. I was resisting her evil plan.
奶奶正扯著嗓子，她似乎有點(diǎn)沮喪。我正在反抗她的邪惡計劃。
But then, something strange…. She started to undress herself, get into the water and wash. A wash that looked more like a demonstration, a kind of: “l(fā)ike this, stupid white woman, you wash yourself like this”. And then she ‘helped’ me undress, guided me into the ‘soupy-bath’ and gave me a wash too!
隨后，事情變得更加奇怪……她脫掉自己的衣服，進(jìn)入水里洗澡，像是示范，仿佛在說：“像這樣，傻瓜，就這么洗。”然后她幫我脫衣服，帶我進(jìn)“湯鍋”，幫我洗澡！
Feeling a little silly, but also grateful that I was not on the menu for today, I enjoyed the rest of my stay and made sure I added “燙” to my list of must know words!
我覺得自己有點(diǎn)傻，但也慶幸自己不在今天的菜單上。我開始享受這美妙的熱水澡，也將“燙”收入必學(xué)詞匯表。
Originally from the Welsh valleys in the UK, Paula has been living and working in the middle kingdom for the past 24 years. Spending most of her time working with children, their families and the teachers who care for them, Paula is a Montessori teacher, teacher trainer and parenting coach. Paula currently lives in Xiamen, China with her husband and 2 children. Her free days are filled with long walks in Xiamen’s beautiful horticultural park, reading, playing Guqin and giggling with her family! She is the founder of Insight, a wellness platform and studio dedicated to supporting the healthy growth and mental well-being of individuals, families, and children everywhere, and the founder of the soon to be released wellbeing APP – THRIVE (www.thrive.uno).
Paula 來自英國的威爾士山谷，過去的 24 年里一直在中國生活和工作。她大部分時間都圍繞著孩子、自己的家庭以及照顧他們的老師打交道，她是一名教師、教師培訓(xùn)師和育兒教練，奉行“蒙臺梭利教育法”。Paula 目前與她的丈夫和兩個孩子住在中國廈門。她有空會到廈門植物園散步、讀書、彈古琴，與家人談笑。她是 Insight 的創(chuàng)始人，這是一個致力于個人、家庭和兒童健康成長和心理健康的服務(wù)平臺。她也是即將發(fā)布的保健類 APP——THRIVE（www.thrive.uno）的創(chuàng)始人。
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